Councilman Tom Donnelly said the town has received several dozen complaints from residents living near people who were not having the occasional yard sale but were instead "running a business out of their driveway every week."

"There were cars coming and going, leftover stuff was left in the street," he said. "It becomes a quality-of-life issue."

The town's three incorporated villages have similar regulations, as do a number of towns and villages across Long Island that require permits for yard sales. Last year, the village of Flower Hill dropped the $25 fee, but kept the requirement to have a permit.

The proposed law would require residents seeking to have a yard sale to obtain a permit from the town clerk. To receive a permit, which town officials said would cost around $5, residents must provide proof of residency or ownership of the property having the sale.

Under the proposed law, sales cannot be held for more than two consecutive days, must take place on weekends and are limited to the months of April to September. Only two sales per lot would be permitted in a year. In addition, under the proposed law, only one sign advertising the sale would be permitted and it must remain on the property having the sale.

The proposed penalty for violation would be: a fine of $100 to $500 for a first offense; a fine of $500 to $1,000 for a second offense within a five-year period; and a fine of $1,000 to $2,500 for a third offense within that same period.